Looksmaxxing influencer Clavicular pleads not guilty to rape charge in Massachusetts

Braden Peters, 20, known online as Clavicular, appeared in an Orleans, Mass. court Thursday on charges he raped a 17-year-old at his Cape Cod home.

'Looksmaxxing' streamer Braden Peters arraigned on rape charge in Cape Cod case

Braden Peters, the 20-year-old social media personality known online as Clavicular, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of raping a 17-year-old girl at his family's home in Chatham, Massachusetts, Global News Crime reports, citing The Associated Press.

Peters — who built a following by promoting the "looksmaxxing" trend, in which people pursue extreme methods to maximize their physical attractiveness — arrived at Orleans District Court wearing a dark suit and walking a dog on a leash. He spoke only to the dog as he entered the courthouse and made no comment upon leaving.

A judge set bail at $10,000, which was paid in cash at the arraignment, according to NBC News. Peters agreed to surrender his passport and is prohibited from contacting or posting about the woman who has accused him of assault.

What prosecutors allege

The alleged incident took place in May 2025. According to a police report filed with Chatham police and obtained by Global News, the woman said she travelled by rideshare from her grandparents' home in the Cape Cod area to Peters' family home — described as an affluent gated community overlooking the Atlantic Ocean — after Peters invited her to appear in one of his Twitch livestreams.

She told police she had been messaging Peters on Instagram for roughly a week before the visit and that he paid her to appear in "looksmaxxing" videos he streamed online. Upon arrival, she said she was greeted by his mother and grandmother before Peters escorted her to his room, where he was already livestreaming.

The woman told Chatham police that Peters was aware she was 17 at the time but instructed her to tell his viewers she was 18. She also said the vodka he gave her was presented as water. She estimated she consumed two or three shots and became increasingly intoxicated.

An officer who reviewed clips from the Twitch livestream noted that one segment showed the woman telling Peters, "Wait, I'm so drunk though." Peters replied, "It's OK," after which they kissed, according to the police report.

After the stream ended, the woman told police they had sex in his room and that she fell asleep in his bed. She said she awoke the next morning to Peters having sex with her, which she described as non-consensual, telling police she was "in shock" when she woke up.

Defence position

Peters has denied the allegations through his legal team. His lawyer said in a statement that Peters and the accuser had maintained a "professional and personal relationship" for close to a year.

"At no time did the complainant report anything to the police — or to anyone — because there was nothing to report," lawyer David Meier said, according to The Associated Press.

Civil lawsuit developments

The accuser had previously filed a civil lawsuit in Florida in April. An amended complaint filed in June alleged sexual battery arising from the Cape Cod encounter and also accused Peters of injecting the woman with a fat-dissolving substance during a livestream without her consent. Earlier this month, the woman dropped the sexual assault claim from the civil filing and refiled her case — a move her lawyer said was intended to work around the pending criminal proceedings. The injection allegations remain active in the newly filed civil case, according to The Associated Press and NBC News.

Prior legal trouble

This is not Peters' first brush with the law. In May, he was charged with a misdemeanour in connection with an alleged firearm discharge at the Francis S. Taylor Everglades Wildlife Management Area boat ramp dock in Florida on March 26. Fellow influencer Andrew Morales — also known as the "Cuban Tarzan" — faced the same charge in connection with the same incident, according to court records reviewed by multiple outlets.

At the time, Peters' lawyers Steven Kramer and Jeffrey Neiman said in a statement to Global News: "Our client has been summoned to appear for a misdemeanor charge that stems from following the instructions of a licensed airboat guide. He relied on that guidance. No animals or people were harmed. We are confident that once the full picture is understood, people will see this for what it is."

A viral video had appeared to show two men shooting at an alligator in the Everglades. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed in March it was investigating: "FWC officers are looking into the incident and will provide additional information when available," the agency said in a statement.

Peters subsequently pleaded no contest in that case, according to court records viewed by CBS News. He was sentenced to six months of probation and ordered to complete 20 hours of community service — which cannot be streamed or monetized — as well as a firearm safety course and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wildlife safety course.

Global News has not independently reviewed the court documents in the Florida matter.

— With files from Global News' Rachel Goodman and The Associated Press

Source: Global News Crime